How To Take Care For Percussion Mallets

It’s important for a percussionist to know how to take care of percussion mallets in order to preserve their life and durability. Marimba, xylophone and glockenspiel mallets can be an expensive investment and keeping these accessories looking and sounding like new can mean savings in the long run. Instead of letting your percussion mallets wear out, follow these steps to take care of them and maintain their quality.

Purchase a proper case for your mallets. The first step to take care of percussion mallets is to acquire a high quality case to store them. Most instrument retailers carry a variety of cases. Make sure you select one that’s large enough to accommodate your mallet collection without having to cram them in.

Only use mallets on their designated instrument. It may seem like common sense, but taking care of percussion mallets relies on the fact that you’re only using them on the instrument they were designed for. Many percussionists may try to save money by just using one or two pairs of mallets on every mallet instrument, but different surfaces can cause unnecessary wear and tear.

Don’t touch the head of the mallets with your hand. This might be the biggest mistake percussionists make. The oils in your hand can slowly accumulate on the yarn head of percussion mallets and cause the material to deteriorate. If you’re looking to take care of your percussion mallets, always remember this tip!

Keep the bars and surfaces of your percussion instruments clean. Taking care of your mallets also means taking care of your instruments. The dirt, dust and oil that can accumulate on the bars of marimbas, vibraphones and more will eat away at your mallets and cause them to fall apart much sooner than they have to.

Learning how to take care of percussion mallets is a valuable and worthwhile lesson for percussionists of all skill levels. Follow these steps and you’ll be surprised how long your favorite pair of mallets will last.